September 21-27

Gyrodyne, under contract from the U.S. Navy, produced a simple ultra-light, one-man co-axial (counter-rotating) rotor portable helicopter known as the XRON-1 "Rotorcycle." It was also selected by the U.S. Marine Corps for evaluation as a reconnaissance and one-man assault helicopter.

An unusual feature of the XRON was the use of small rotortip-mounted drag brakes as an approach to the directional control and stability of coaxial rotor helicopters. The brakes turned the fuselage by unbalancing the torques of the counter-rotating rotors. The XRON was also designed to be flown by personnel with a minimum amount of training and it was extremely maneuverable.